White Knight Chronicles: A tale of a Crystalis Scorned
by CronicCrystalis
Summary: Set after the events of what occured in Vellgander. Spoiler warning for those of you who haven't played through that part yet. Dealing with the aftermath of the second Yshrenian War, and having settled into a more common lifestyle, Cronic has chosen to remain in Vellgander to watch over the Arks. What happens when his past comes back to bite him? OCs involved. Rated T
1. Chapter 1: The Crystal Legion

**Author's Note: I don't own the White Knight Chronicles series, ergo; I don't own any of the characters, settings, plots and so on. The concepts such as the Crystalis and some characters that will feature in this work are my own creations, however.**

**Well, this is my first major attempt at a proper fanfic. I'm using the soon-to-be devoid of online functionality game (In Europe and America, anyway), White Knight Chronicles, to provide the foundry for this work.**

**White Knight Chronicles – A tale of a Crystalis scorned**

**Chapter 1: The crystal legion.**

**Cronic's POV**

My name is Cronic. I have no last name. I have shoulder length brown hair, blue eyes, and fair white skin. These days I typically wear the soleil II robes with a fair bit of personalization to it. I've had it dyed blue, black and white instead of the white, brown and yellow colour scheme it had going on, and on the jacket part of it, I had a piece of dark blue fabric attached to it to make it seem more like a proper robe than the four pieces of fabric that flowed down across the front and back of my legs, which I still kept when I added the fabric, by the way. It goes under the four pieces. I kept the cape and gemstones placed within it the same colour, however.

Basically, picture the tips of shoes, the fabric around my shoulders and arms, and the fingers of my gloves as blue, the brown parts of the robe, trousers shoes, and gloves as black, and the yellow parts a radiant white and you'll get the idea. The whole personalization thing though caused most of the original Soleil's details, such as those on the upper torso to vanish though.

Many refer to me as the second White Knight, or the sixth Incorrupti. What I felt was a dead end job working in a Wine shop turned out to be a truly unpredictable adventure involving a conflict that ended in a stalemate ten thousand years ago.

It all started with the Magi attacking Balandor to claim the White Knight. We held two Journeys; the first in the pursuit of Princess Cisna, who had been captured by the Magi. The second involved amassing a force to defeat the Yshrenian Empire. Near to the end of the second journey, I discovered I had a latent potential for Magic, which became my main means of combat as time passed. With Leonard, Yulie, Eldore, Kara, and Caesar by my side, and the support of an energetic researcher named Framboise who created my Knight, we defeated the Yshrenian Empire, but its true emperor, Madoras, survived the encounter.

Madoras resurrected the ancient capital of the Yshrenian Empire, Vellgander. I knew we'd never be safe as long as he still lived. Thankfully, I'd made a few connections with three powerful warriors of various fighting styles to aid me in bringing him down.

Animus. Don't be fooled by his size. This Guild Leader's got a sharp eye, a number of different arrows which he can shoot you with, and a powerful bow arm. He's a kind person though, always willing to help others with whatever problem they may have.

Allen. Gifted in both Magic and Melee, he's an expert with a Long sword and a staff. He's generally quite quiet, as far as I can tell, but I'm sure he's quite talkative when he wants to be. He'll typically lend a hand to those in need, much like Animus.

Snow. An expert with an axe or a hammer, and a Bow and arrow, he's able to switch between both at the drop of a hat. Despite his shifting fighting style, he's a man of few words, but he means well.

Together with them, we fought our way through Vellgander, the five Yshrenian-made knights, and god knows how many other things, until we came face to face with Madoras himself at Vellgander's upper apex. Madoras believed us to be a simple distraction. Something to pass the time.

Despite giving us a hard time, he quickly realised we were more than just ants to be stepped on. That realisation that we could actually harm him quite badly made him outright furious, as he transformed into the twisted form of the Demon Knight. But even with Ark Crystals backing him up in human (If you could even call him that) form and knight form, Madoras was still no match for the four of us working together, despite the fact he knocked me out near the end of the fight.

After Madoras was finally put down for good, my companions picked me up and dusted me off, and we took a photo at the site of the battleground of the four of us as proof that we were victorious. In a line was me, Animus and Allen saluting, while Snow stood in front of us striking a karate pose. I still carry it with me to this day.

We returned to Balandor to give the news to Cisna, Leonard and the others that Madoras was no more. I returned to my job at Rapacchi wines for a while, but with Vellgander now unoccupied, I feared what would happen to the five knights now that Madoras was gone, as well as the legions of monsters, Gigas and Ark Incorrupti roaming the halls, so I took it upon myself to head back to Vellgander, and seal away the five Knights Arks in the Upper Apex, and destroyed most of the monsters lurking within, and banished the rest into an endless Abyss.

I had to create a duplicate of Madoras' staff, in order to successfully seal the five Arks. The copy itself lacks the power of the Demon Knight, but personally, I don't need it. An abomination like that is better left dead and buried.

With the loose ends tied up, I chose to remain in Vellgander, just in case. As for the rest, I typically did some occasional quests people had for me, for the sake of having money for food, drink, and the occasional bottle of Parma Wine. I could use some company, but knowing that the Dogma War won't have a third repeat is enough for me.

…At least. That's how I'd have liked it to be. The past has a way of coming back to bite you in the ass. And that's exactly what mine did. Luckily for me, I had a little bit of insurance; I combined my Knights Ark with a Lux Staff, the duplicate of Madoras' staff, and a True King's Staff, with the aid of Framboise. The resulting combination not only bolstered my magical power, but also my Knight's strength as well. It now sported very celestial looking white and gold armour, and its green glows from its eyes and abdominal region shone gold as well. But the most notable additions were the presence of a unique white and gold sword and shield to go with, and a pair of white and gold wings that resembled something of an Angel's wings.

It was a good thing I did too. As about two days after I returned from having the staff made, which I called the Equilibrium Staff, due to one side having small, shimmering white wings going down from a pulsing sphere of sunset-coloured light, and pitch black wings going down the other, a small squadron of armoured soldiers arrived at Vellgander section one. As I'd already cleared out the monsters, there was nothing there to stop them from arriving at the Apex… Well, nothing besides me. Not wanting to waste any time, I then teleported to section one's middle room on the first floor, and appeared in front of them. The best armoured of the group, who I assumed to be their leader, proceeded to speak to me.

"Emperor Madoras, I presume?" The leader said, all of them keeping a firm grip on the swords in their hands. I chuckled to myself before I replied.

"You missed him by approximately three months. He's probably in the deepest parts of hell at this point." I said, as the soldiers drew closer, only to be met with a circle of eclipse gates surrounding me.

"Your armour looks very familiar… Where have I seen it before…?" I said, as I went into my thoughts.

"Impossible. No one outside of… It can't be… You're that exile?!" The leader blurted out.

"…Thanks for confirming my suspicions, Crystalis knights." I said. My tone of voice became more serious as I spoke.

"This is troublesome. We'd better retreat immediately to reassess the situation!" The leader shouted out, before I interrupted his attempts to escape with a click of my fingers, causing another circle of eclipse gates to block their path.

"Don't ever come back here. If I catch you here again, I will not be so merciful." I said, before teleporting back to the Apex, shutting off the teleporter connecting Section 1 to Section 2 once I returned to the Apex.

Now you're probably wondering; just who are the Crystalis Knights? To put it simply, they're a clan of reclusive knights who share the same surname, but have different ranks and authority based on their skill in their chosen fields, and how well renowned they are. And I used to be one. I was on one of the lower ends of the spectrum… Up until I got exiled. And pretty much all the Exiles who came before me are never heard from or seen again by other Knights. Odds are they don't survive that first day of exile. But me? I did more than just survive.

Figured I'd never see 'em again. But the fact that they're here in Vellgander, former home of Emperor Madoras, is not a sign of gentle change. They're here for something. Just don't know what. I'd better be more cautious. The Crystalis are nothing if not resourceful. Good thing I didn't get rid of all those Gigas, Ark Incorrupti and monsters. But I seriously doubt I'll be able to do this on my own. So first chance I get, I'm going to head to Balandor to inform Queen Cisna of the situation. Before I do that, though, I think it's time I let free those Gigas, Incorrupti, and Monsters loose to guard the place while I'm gone... After a little bit of mental influence to make sure they don't run riot outside of Vellgander. Hey, someone has to show the underlings who's the boss around here.

Just great… I finally get my life sorted out, even if it isn't wholly ideal, and then this happens. Why is it whenever things are going good for me, my Luck then goes and takes a sharp U-turn back to square one…?

**That's it for Chapter 1. Let me know what you felt I did well, and areas I could use to improve by means of reviews.**

**Cronic out.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Planning

**Author's Note: I don't own the White Knight Chronicles series, ergo; I don't own any of the characters, settings, plots and so on. The concepts such as the Crystalis and some characters that will feature in this work are my own creations, however.**

**Enjoy chapter 2!**

**White Knight Chronicles – A tale of a Crystalis scorned**

**Chapter 2: The Planning**

**Location: Unknown**

**Time: 20:37**

Inside what looked like a large briefing room, around a round table, were nine individuals wearing differently coloured suits, 8 of which being a plain one of their colour, which, in circular order from where the Ninth was, the colours were as follows: Red, Blue, Brown, Green, Gray with a tinge of blue, yellow, black, and white. They also wore masks of their respective colours, which covered their entire head. They represented the elements, fire, water, earth, wind, ice, thunder, darkness and light, respectively.

The ninth individual wore a white gown with gold decorations on it, and had long white hair that reached halfway down his back. He looked to be in his mid-40s, with golden eyes. He had an air about him that made him seem like he was none of the elements, yet all of them at once.

Seated beside him was a woman in her early 20s, clad in a similar gown to the ninth individual, her face masked by a white veil, obscuring everything, save for her long brown hair that reached down her back. She too had the same air as him, but hers was less noticeable than the white haired male who held the most commanding presence of the 10 figures present.

An armoured figure stepped into the room soon after. The same armoured figure that had been sighted in Vellgander by Cronic.

"Report, Captain. Why did you not return with the Arks in hand?" The flame suited individual said, as the captain bowed before he spoke.

"The situation was… Not what our intelligence claimed to say the least. We advanced into Vellgander. We were met with no hostility. There were no monsters at all. It was as if nothing had ever occupied Vellgander. We advanced on despite this. As we reached the end of section 1, a figure appeared before us. Brown haired, blue eyed. The man dressed like a Mage, with staff in hand. At first, we assumed him to be the emperor of ancient Yshrenia, Madoras. He replied by saying we'd missed him by about three months. My men and I drew closer to him, but our advance was stopped by a ring of… Eclipse gates, was it? I never was any good with memorizing magic spells. This brings me onto my next point. He then said the following." The captain said, before he coughed a little, then resumed speaking.

"Your armour looks very familiar… Where have I seen it before…?" The captain said, mimicking the brown haired individual's voice to the letter, before returning to his own voice.

"I then mentioned the impossibility of it, but a realization struck me part way through. The man stood before us was none other than the man we exiled two years ago."

The ninth individual's eyes widened at the mentioning of the exile, before returning to normal, while a quiet gasp was heard from the woman sat next to him.

"How can you be sure it was him?" The darkness-clad individual spoke with the voice of a female.

"He confirmed it himself. He knew we were Crystalis knights once I bought up the whole 'Exile' thing. We tried to flee, but he blocked our path with another circle of Eclipse Gates, before issuing a threat that if we returned, he would not be so merciful. Once he'd said that, he teleported out. We would have pursued him, but the teleporter would not activate."

The white haired figure slammed his fist on the table in frustration.

"That damn brat…! The Long Fall is supposed to be a death sentence! So then how was it he survived?!" The white haired figure said, clenching his fists tightly.

"Master Zion, please calm down!" The captain said to him.

Zion said nothing, but with a motion of his hands, the Captain was impaled through the chest by the very ground he was stood upon.

"M…Master… Why…?" The captain said, before his head tilted back, and his movements ceased. The ground that had impaled him then returned to its normal state.

Zion calmed down soon after. The other eight individuals were debating between one another.

"Have someone notify the next of kin. And prepare the captain's body for burial." Zion said, still sounding somewhat furious, but on a much calmer level. The woman sat beside him stood up and proceeded to leave the room. Before she could open the door, however, Zion spoke to her.

"And where are you going, Serena?" Zion said to her, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"I am going to my room. I need to clear my thoughts." Serena said, as she then left the conference room, closing the door behind her as she left. Zion took a deep breath to rid himself of the rest of his anger.

"Okay. I'm calm now. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how we should deal with this Exile?" Zion said, as in turn, each of the masked individuals spoke.

**Meanwhile…**

**Time: 20:56**

Serena sat on a chair besides a desk in her room. Her room's walls and ceilings were the colour of the ocean, and was lit by an elegant lantern hanging from the ceiling. Her furniture itself was made from a brown wood with golden flower-like markings across their surfaces, and consisted of a set of drawers, a wardrobe, the aforementioned desk and chair which was placed between the drawers and wardrobe, and her bed, which was a typical four poster bed, and the colours of the curtains and the bedding itself matched those of her bedroom's walls. At the far side of the room was a door leading out to a balcony, in which she could see for miles.

She had since removed her veil, and placed it on the desk in front of her, her fair white skin and blue eyes much like those of Cronic showing through.

"Crobalt… You are alive… I was pretty certain you would not survive the fall… But here you are, alive..." Serena said, as she stood up and walked open to her wardrobe. She then opened it, and pulled out an outfit that looked more like an outfit befitting a commoner consisting of a black jacket and trousers and gloves, with a white shirt, along with a black cloak. Setting them onto her bed, she pulled a matching pair of black boots out of the wardrobe before closing the door to it. She then began to remove the dress she was wearing, and once she was done, folded it up and placed it onto the bed.

Serena herself was of average physical build with an hourglass figure and a moderate bust size. She took pride in keeping herself in shape, and loved nothing more than to do just that without distraction. She then removed her heeled shoes and placed those beside her bed. After that, she removed the white elbow-length gloves on her arms and placed those on top of her dress, before doing the same with the stockings she wore underneath it, leaving her in just her underwear.

She then took the shirt from the outfit she'd taken out from the wardrobe and put it on; buttoning it up once she'd got her arms in the sleeves, before taking the trousers and slipping her legs into it, making sure her shirt was tucked in correctly before putting on the jacket and buttoning it up part way, as she then put her boots on and made sure the laces were securely tied. She couldn't stand high heeled shoes, no matter how much they made her look more regal.

With the main part of her outfit on, she then slipped on her black gloves, making sure they were securely in place, before she slipped on the black cloak and fastened it into place. With this done, she then stepped over to the balcony doors and opened them, closing them behind her.

She then walked over to the railings opposite the door, and sat down upon them, her feet hanging over the edge, as she looked down at the moving world below. At this point, they were over Frass Chasm, but also high enough to be just above above the cloud layer as well.

"Please, magic. Don't fail me now. Let me see him again." Serena said, as she pushed herself off the Balcony, and began to fall down to the world below, turning in mid fall to take a look at the floating city she called home, before turning back and proceeding into a bullet dive.

**Location: Sinca Village**

**Time: 23:06**

Cronic, looking somewhat exhausted, sat beside a Campfire, the same one that had been lit when he and Leonard first passed through Sinca to go to the Dogma Ruins. His mind flashed back to that point in time.

"That's right… Setti was with us then, but his mind was that of Grazel. He tried to drive a wedge between us and Eldore. Shows how well that turned out. Had it not been for Caesar's observations, we probably would've been playing right into Grazel's hands…" Cronic said to himself, as he let out a yawn.

"…I'm beat… Getting all those monsters to obey me was a lot tougher than I thought… First thing tomorrow, when I wake up, I'll transform and fly as far as I can. I won't chance flying over the ocean though. Don't want to end up having to swim the rest of the way… I wish I could teleport there like I can in Vellgander…" Cronic said, as he then folded his arms.

"I might have to stop by Greede. I seriously doubt I'll be able to cover the entire distance between here and Balandor in a single transformation without overdoing it in my current condition." He said to himself, as he stood up, then extinguished the campfire with a basic water spell, and walked over to a small tent he'd pitched nearby.

"It's probably for the better if I do. The Crystalis might use Caesar and Kara to try and get to me." Cronic said to himself, as he rubbed his eyes, and prepared to sleep. Before he closed his eyes, however, he took out the picture of himself, Animus, Snow and Allen.

"I wonder what those guys are up to these days. Probably off on another grand adventure, I bet." Cronic said to himself, as he put the picture away, turned over, and closed his eyes, drifting off into sleep's peaceful embrace.

**The Next day…**

**Time: 6:34**

The sound of birds awoke Cronic from his slumber, as he crawled out of his tent, stood up and stretched, yawning as he did so. As he looked to the stone he was sat on before, he saw a blue Bigelow quietly waiting.

"…Ah, right. I forgot I sent one to Faria before I left Vellgander." Cronic said, as the Bigelow's eyes began to shimmer, and the holographic figure of the ruler of Faria, Archduchess Miu, appeared.

"Hello, Cronic. To what do I owe the pleasure of speaking to you right now?" Miu said to Cronic, as he cleared his throat once Miu had finished speaking.

"I wish it were pleasant news. A faction from my past appeared in Vellgander yesterday. I can't go into details just yet, however. I need to get to Balandor to inform Cisna and the others, and I don't have time to go into explanations just yet. But the bottom line about the whole situation is that I think they may be after the Yshrenian Knights. I can't say for certain what their intent is, but I plan to find out."

"You mean they seek to use the knight's powers for their own ends?" Miu asked, sounding somewhat concerned.

"You don't need me to tell you what'll happen if they fall into the wrong hands. As long as the seals I placed on them remain in effect, that won't happen. But I'm more concerned they may use you and Faria to get to me. That's why I want you to keep an eye on the skies above. I'll explain more when I get to Balandor. I will probably end up stopping by Greede to explain the situation to Caesar and Kara as well. I've had to do a little bit of work to ensure that the monsters I trapped within the Abyss guard Vellgander and do not leave, so I won't be able to sustain my Incorruptus form long enough to get to Balandor in a single transformation, and I really don't want to risk sleeping out in the wild." Cronic said, as he folded his arms.

"I understand. I will wait for you to contact me again. Remain safe, Cronic." Miu said, as she smiled.

"And to you as well." Cronic said, as he ended the communication to Miu. He then turned around and packed away his camping equipment into a waiting backpack, pulling out a flask of water and taking a long drink from it, before putting the flask back, taking his staff off his back, and proceeded to put said backpack on, before turning to the Bigelow on the Rock.

"We fly in the direction of Greede. Meet me there, okay?" Cronic said, as the Bigelow seemed to understand that, and took flight.

"Well then, let's get to it." he said to himself, as he raised his staff in front of him, holding it so that the white wing was facing him, and the black one facing away.

"O Reijva, Slumbering Guardian, watcher of Crystalline Children, grant me your power…" He said, before he turned his staff so that the white wing was facing to his left, and the black to his right.

"VERTO!" He shouted out loud, as the wings shifted upward, so that the ends of each wing rose above the sunset coloured orb, which shone with a blinding light of the same colour. When the light faded, the winged Knight that was Cronic's Incorruptus shot up into the skies above Sinca, and headed in the direction of Greede.

**Well, that about covers chapter two without going on all day. Once again, I ask that you point out things I did well, and areas that I can improve upon. See you next time for Chapter 3!**

**Cronic out!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Bloodied One

**Author's Note: I don't own the White Knight Chronicles series, ergo; I don't own any of the characters, settings, plots and so on. The concepts such as the Crystalis and some characters that will feature in this work are my own creations, however.**

**With an interesting review sent to me, it gives me more of a means to flesh out the story, and implement a character who would like nothing more than to destroy the Crystalis.**

**White Knight Chronicles – A tale of a Crystalis scorned**

**Chapter 3: The Bloodied One.**

**Location: Frass Chasm.**

**Time: 7:35 AM**

Cronic flew over the network of Greaver-occupied passages that was Frass Chasm, and spotted one of the colossal beasts storming through the chasm, and he could've sworn he'd spotted some Windwalkers close behind it.

"…**Hm. I wonder how Osmund, Rocco and the other Windwalkers are holding up?" **Cronic said to himself, a faint echo to his voice, as he continued flying over the chasm.

"**Well that's just grand… I just realised. I have no idea if the Mining Season is going or not. Would probably make sense to catch a ride there, instead of flying directly towards it… Don't want to revert back and fall to my death after all." **Cronic said to himself, as he changed course towards the station which held the air transportation network to and from Greed from the Chasm.

"**In hindsight, living as a lone wolf inside Vellgander was not a good move as far as world events are concerned…" **Cronic said to himself, as he drew closer to the ground.

His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of someone screaming, however. It sounded like a Paupitaur.

"**Probably just one running from a Greaver, but still… I can't just leave the little guy to become Greaver Chow. " **Cronic said, as he then turned to fly towards the approximate source.

When he landed though, he saw not a Paupitaur running from a Greaver, but one pinned up against a wall, in front of a blonde haired, white-suited individual with silver shoulder plates that had a crimson cloak trailing down to just shy of his feet, wearing a white fedora, and was holding an Arcanum Wand in one hand.

"…**I'm disappointed in you. I expected you to have a full shipment of those metals sent to me by weeks end. "**The figure said to the terrified Paupitaur.

"**There were some delays in getting everything together! Please! You'll have your metals! Just don't hurt me!"** The Paupitaur said.

Cronic was quietly watching from the sidelines, though it was pretty hard to be stealthy when you were a colossus seven metres tall that was made of metal.

"**And I paid in advance. And when my associates don't meet the deadlines I set them, I question their worth… And sometimes, I get very uncharitable**.**"** The figure said, as he held out the staff towards the Paupitaur.

"**And that is especially so when I don't see that which I paid for in advance."** The figure said, as a lightning bolt shot from the end of the staff, and impaled itself into the wall besides the Paupitaur, which was met with a terrified yell.

"**Next time, I will not miss." **The figure said, as he aimed directly at the Paupitaur.

"**You have one last chance. I expect those Metals to be delivered at the agreed location by tomorrow."** The figure said, as he lowered the staff.

"**If you fail to meet this deadline, your life is forfeit**." The figure said, only to be interrupted by the sound of metallic armour moving, and the feeling of tremors in the ground behind him.

"**Metallic Armour? That… isn't… right…"** The figure said, turning around slowly as he spoke, to see the armoured form of Cronic's Knight stood before him. The figure himself, however, had dried bloodstains on his suit. They were dotted around the majority of the suit, but they were more noticeable around the ends of the suit where the hands and feet were, and wore similarly bloodied gloves and shoes, which were practically blood red all over.

"**An Incorrupti? Here? And it sure as hell isn't one of the Yshrenian Knights…" **The figure said, as he raised his staff. The Paupitaur turned and ran off, screaming as he did so.

"**Alright buster. I don't know what your problem is, but why don't you pick on someone your own size?" **Cronic said, as he looked at the figure, swords in hand.

"**The Paupitaur and I merely have a business arrangement. And he failed to deliver on time." **The figure said, adjusting his hair on the left side of his face, revealing a blood red eye, while his right eye was obscured.

"**And you respond to that by trying to kill him? That's one hell of a business practice. Not." **Cronic said, as he noticed his knight form fading.

"…**Damnit. Out of energy." **Cronic said, as he knelt down, and the knight form faded away, leaving the standard Cronic in its place, with staff in hand, as he stood up.

"**Hm. A mage, much like myself… With plenty of resources, too, by the looks of it. That robe looks like it's been quite carefully customized. And that staff… It is absolutely coursing with power." **The figure said, as he then pointed his staff at Cronic.

"**However… I've done enough of my homework to know that a pactmaker who reverts from knight form essentially has no Mana left. And for a mage, that is a bad position to be in."** The figure said before firing a lightning bolt at Cronic, who promptly dodge rolled to one side to avoid it.

"**Was hoping to have to save this, but seems I don't have a choice." **Cronic said, taking out an elixir from his backpack, and downed the whole thing, as a surge of Mana flooded his veins.

"**I see. You intend to go out fighting. Very well. I'll humour you." **The figure said, as he boosted his Magic, at the expense of his resistance to it.

"**Before you die, you will know the might of Boreus the Bloodied!"** The figure, Boreus shouted, a twisted grin spreading across his face. Cronic's eyes widened in shock.

"**Wait, Boreus? I've heard that name before… Oh shit…"**Cronic said, as he knew just who this person actually was now.

"**Hmm? You know of me. Interesting. I figured no-one in this world knew who I was…" **Boreus said, as he lowered his staff.

"**Boreus Maximilian Crystalis. Also known as Boreus the Bloodied, and Collaterally Indifferent Boreus. You are Infamous amidst the Crystalis' ranks for your brutal means of killing people, be they an enemy or ally, regardless of whether or not they have surrendered." **Cronic said, his gaze becoming more serious, knowing just who it was who stood before him.

"**Was sentenced to the Long Fall due to influence from his family to spare him. But as you and I both know, the Long Fall is a Death Sentence." **Cronic said, not even bothering trying to hide the fact that he was a Crystalis.

"…**Interesting. You know of the Crystalis, a considerable deal about me, and about their means of Exile." **Boreus said, as he looked at Cronic, dead in the eyes.

"**Then that leads me to suspect you are, or more accurately, were, a Crystalis at some point in time." **Boreus said, as his grin returned.

"**A fellow Exile. What are the odds…?" **Boreus said, chuckling to himself.

"**However, I have no reason to assist you… But your status as a Pactmaker gives me plenty of excuse to KILL YOU!" **Boreus shouted, before unleashing a barrage of ice shards at Cronic, who countered with a string of Dragonfire spells cast in rapid succession, firing a lightning bolt in between one of his Dragonfire casts to throw Boreus off his barrage, who evaded the lightning bolt.

"_**This isn't right. Boreus was supposed to have his magic sealed at the time of his exile. How is he able to use magic then? Whatever the case may be, I'm in no condition for a prolonged fight. I have to end this quickly." **_Cronic thought to himself, as he then shifted to casting a meteor, which was headed right for Boreus.

"**Oh you've gotta be…"** Boreus said, spotting the meteor, as he turned and ran for it, while Cronic used his magic to call up a barrier of stone in front of him to shield himself from the blast.

When the meteor impacted the battle ground, it exploded violently, knocking Boreus flying into the wall the Paupitaur was backed up against, but he turned in mid-flight to avoid crashing into said wall face first, his back taking the brunt of the hit, while Cronic dug himself in as the wind whipped around the stone shield he'd conjured.

Once the dust cleared and the wind settled down, Cronic then sent the stone barrier back into the ground, and looked at Boreus, who was peeling himself off the wall, a large gap in the path between him, and Boreus.

"**Clever thinking, kid."** Boreus said, as he coughed twice, coughing up some blood onto one hand as he did so.

"**I'll let you live this day, but I will have your goddamn head on a platter for this."** Boreus said, as he cast a portal to the side of him, and sluggishly walked through, clenching his side with his free hand, and the portal closed behind him.

Cronic looked at Boreus as he disappeared.

"**No way will he be coming back in a hurry from those injuries." **Cronic said to himself, as he turned to walk towards the station. **"Still, his presence here worries me. If he's still alive, then god knows what he's planning." **Cronic said to himself.

**Location: Frass Chasm station**

**Time: 8:26 AM**

Cronic arrived at the station, and saw it was busy as usual, though some people were chattering about the meteor impact that hit the chasm a short while ago. Choosing to ignore it, he walked towards the station, and climbed onto the transport to Greede. Several minutes later, the transport took off.

Only he, a mother and child, and a black cloaked figure with the hood obscuring his or her face in shadow were on the transport. Cronic was looking more towards the horizon, seeing the Demithor carrying Greed upon its back as per usual.

"Not bad for something that had petrified itself a short while ago. Then again. Garmatha would've levelled Balandor without it." Cronic thought to himself, before noticing the black hooded figure was staring at him through the shadows of the hood, hands resting on the seat. Meeting the figure's gaze, the figure promptly turned away. Cronic used the opportunity to glance over the figure's body. Noticing the physical shape of the person, he mentally noted the figure was female. His gut instinct said this person was a thief at best or an Assassin at worst. He put it to one side for now and looked at the Demithor, which drew closer with every passing minute.

A short while later, the transport arrived at Greede's central station, and Cronic, with his gear in hand, and his staff placed upon his back, wedged between his back itself and his backpack, he headed towards Caesar's home, spotting his blue Bigelow stood on a tree branch nearby. He was being followed by the hooded figure though, and he knew it.

"_**Sooner I get through the gates to Caesar's home, the better." **_Cronic said, as he arrived at the gates to the mansion.

"**Halt. State your name and your intention."** One of the guards said, stepping forward to stand between Cronic and the gates, as the black hooded figure sat down upon a bench nearby.

"**Cronic. No surname. I'm here to see Caesar. I need to speak to him." **Cronic said, as the guard looked towards his associate, who nodded at him. The black hooded figure sat upright, while the Guard looked back to Cronic.

"**Ah. You were the silent guy with Leonard and the others. Just watch yourself in there. It's probably only a matter of time before Caesar does something stupid, and Kara brings the hurt." **The guard said, as the two guards then opened the gates.

"**I don't get how those two could stand one another… Never was good at playing cupid." **Cronic said to himself, as he walked up the stairs to the mansion, the guards closing the gates to the mansion. The black cloaked figure stood up, and turned to walk away from the gates.

"I know without a doubt it's him now. But I need to figure out a way into the mansion. There's no way the guards will allow me inside, so I'll probably have to sneak in come nightfall." The figure thought, as she stopped to look at Cronic, who was now at the doors to the mansion. She knew she'd need to plan a way into the mansion, which would mean examining the Mansion closely to find a way in. Finding Cronic wasn't an issue, as she has ways of finding people she already knew personally. Especially if they were mages.

**That's all for Chapter three people. Thanks to ****Luckenhaft**** for the pointers relating to Ch2. As always, ****I ask that you point out things I did well, and areas that I can improve upon.**

**Also, Luckenhaft, the reason why the 9****th**** figure was wearing white and gold was because they essentially embody the unity of the 8 elements represented by the people with masks. Thanks for the pointers on the colours of the suits they wear though.**

**Anyway, I'll see you all for the next Chapter.**

**Cronic out.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Reunion

**Author's Note: I don't own the White Knight Chronicles series, ergo; I don't own any of the characters, settings, plots and so on. The concepts such as the Crystalis and some characters that will feature in this work are my own creations, however.**

**The reason the cloaked figure wasn't talking in Bold in the previous chapter was because said figure wasn't talking at all. It was supposed to be the figure thinking to herself. In hindsight, I probably should've put said line in italics or something. Ah well. I'll take those pointers Luckenhaft and see how it works.**

**White Knight Chronicles – A tale of a Crystalis scorned**

**Chapter 4: The Reunion.**

**Location: The Free City of Greede.**

**Time: 8:42 AM**

Cronic knocked upon the door to the mansion, and quietly stood waiting for someone to answer the door. About a few minutes later, the door opened, and a familiar Glasses-wearing Paupitaur came into view.

"Can I help you?" The Paupitaur said, as he looked up at Cronic, who knelt down to make it easier on the Paupitaur.

"It's been a while, Amir. I'm not really surprised you don't remember me that well. I was a bit on the silent side last time we met." Cronic said to him, as Amir looked Cronic dead in the eyes, before he realised who he was.

"Ah! You're Cronic, one of Leonard's companions!" Amir said, as he opened the door wide so Cronic could enter.

"Come in!" Amir said, as Cronic walked into the mansion, shutting the door behind him, as the two began to walk through the hallways of the mansion.

"So what brings you back to Greede? I thought you were busy with the adventurer's lifestyle?" Amir asked, as the two walked.

"I need to see Caesar and Kara. It's about the Yshrenian Knights Arks I'm watching over in Vellgander. Nothing bad for now at least, but damned if I know how long it'll stay that way." Cronic said, as Amir walked him into a sort of living room area.

"I see. I'll tell them you've arrived. Just wait here, alright? I'll bring them as soon as I can." Amir said, as he then turned around and walked down a nearby corridor. Cronic, walking over and setting his bag down the side of it, took a seat opposite the door in which he came in, and began to quietly wait.

"_The Crystalis appears in Vellgander, Boreus being alive and doing god-knows what behind the scenes… I feel a storm approaching. And I don't think Balandor, Faria and Greede are in any condition to fight a war, even if some time has passed since Yshrenia was crushed along with Madoras… I'd be lying if this situation doesn't worry me." _Cronic thought to himself, as he looked towards the ceiling, and leaned back into the chair, a look of concern upon his face.

**Greede Rooftops**

**Time: 8:56 AM**

The Cloaked Figure had since climbed up onto a rooftop, and was now looking down at the Mansion, observing any of the guard's patrol routes, windows, balcony doors, and that sort of thing, and began to memorize them.

_"I know Cronic's in there, but the question is where can I get in without being unnoticed?" _The figure thought to herself, as she extended her senses, locking onto Cronic's magical energy, and looked in that direction._ "He's on the ground level still. My best bet would be to slip in at night, while visibility is limited. That is, If Cronic stays that long." _The figure thought to herself.

"_Better take an inventory check of the shops… I could always use a new blade." _The figure thought to herself, as she then turned and began to head towards the Merchant quarter of Greed.

**Count's Manor**

**Time: 8:59 AM**

The sound of footsteps startled Cronic from his thoughts, as he looked towards the doorway leading to the hall. Shortly afterward, two figures stepped into the room, one male, and one female, both of them who Cronic recognized instantly, and both of which looked like they hadn't changed much since he left for Vellgander.

"Caesar, Kara. Long-time no see." Cronic said to the two of them, as Caesar smiled, while Kara walked over before punching Cronic in the gut, and Caesar sighed.

"You could've at least come to visit once in a while." Kara said to him, while Cronic clenched his stomach in pain.

"Kara, aren't you sure that's overdoing it? I think you may have cracked a rib or two there." Caesar said from the other side of the room, away from Kara.

"Sides, I don't think our old pal Cronic would be here if it wasn't important. And just by looking at that backpack, I can he's loaded for a long haul, so I don't think it's something minor." Caesar said, as Cronic sat back up again.

"Now that I've got my breath back in my lungs… Thanks for that, Kara. Still got that strength in those punches I see." Cronic said, as he had one hand pressed against his stomach, as the woman in question sat down across from Cronic.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Cronic." Kara said, her voice sounding a lot calmer now, as Caesar took a seat.

"So what brings you to Greede?" Caesar said, as Cronic turned to look at Caesar.

"Hope you two are comfortable, because I've got some explaining to do." Cronic said, as he rested his arms upon the chair's armrests.

**Crystalis Meeting Chamber**

**Time: 9:04 AM**

Zion stood in the chamber, looking out a window to the horizon, as a messenger walked in, who Zion acknowledged that he was there, but didn't bother turning around.

"Master Zion… We may have a slight problem." The messenger said, as Zion said nothing in return, gesturing with his hand for the messenger to continue.

"It seems, as of last night, Serena has not been in her room as per usual in the morning. Upon further investigation, her dress was folded up and left upon her bed, her balcony door unlocked. We suspect she…" The messenger stopped worryingly as Zion turned around, walking over to his chair before sitting down, looking at the Messenger.

"…Continue." Zion said, as the messenger gulped, before continuing.

"…Has descended down to the world below. We think it may have something to do with learning of the continued existence of the exile, Crobalt." The Messenger said, as Zion just face palmed upon hearing this.

"I don't believe this… That girl is going to be the death of me one of these days. Do you know where she decided to descend to the world?" Zion said, as the messenger shook his head.

"We don't have an exact time or place, although some of the Elemental Sages suspect it was sometime after she left the meeting chamber last night. We were flying above Frass Chasm at the time." The messenger said, as Zion rested his elbows on the table in front of him as he leaned forward, clasping his hands together.

"Do you know where she is now?" Zion asked, to which the messenger shook his head once more.

"Given hers and Crobalt's history, it's likely she's trying to meet with him. I'm just guessing here, but I think she may wish to confirm it is actually him with her own eyes. Speaking of which, an unknown Incorruptus was sighted flying over Frass Chasm around Half-seven this morning. Ground watch spotted it purely by chance. It doesn't match the records we have of the Yshrenian Knights."

"I see. They are five knights who, were it not for the Athwani, would've led the world to ruin at the hands of that emperor, Madoras. Very few weapons could severely harm them." Zion said as the Messenger nodded, before turning to leave.

"Wait. I need you to spread the word. If Serena returns, I want you to tell her to see me immediately." Zion said, as the messenger turned around, saluted, before leaving the room.

"_Just what on earth are you thinking Serena? I exiled him to teach a message to his parents, who refused to listen to my orders to separate you two."_ Zion thought to himself, as stood up and walked back over to the window.

**Greede – Count's Mansion**

**Time 9:23 AM**

"Okay, that about covers it. In recap, the Crystalis appeared in Vellgander, and I'm assuming they came there for the Arks, which was a cause for concern for me. On my way here, I fought an exile that is known for his patience, resourcefulness, his skill as a Mage, and his mercy, or more accurately, the lack of." Cronic said, as Caesar and Kara turned to look at each other, before back to Cronic, looks of concern upon their faces, much like they had been with Cronic as well.

"And that is why I need to head to Balandor as soon as I can. I'll stay in Greede long enough to gather some of my strength back, and then I'll travel to Balandor at the first possible opportunity. Leonard, Eldore, Yulie and Cisna deserve to know just as much as you two do." Cronic said, as Caesar leant forward in his seat.

"That's good and all, but you and I know that overuse of the Knight's power is exhausting. So while I can understand you're in a rush, you're probably in no condition to make a long trip like that. So why don't you stay the night? You look like you could use a decent bed and a feast." Caesar said, as Kara nodded as well.

"Living up in Vellgander with just camping equipment is not my opinion of a comfortable lifestyle, Cronic. Normally I don't always see eye to eye with Caesar, but he's right on this one. You need your rest.

Cronic looked at the two, and looked as he was about to say something but Caesar interrupted him before he could.

"No buts, Cronic. You're staying the night even if we have to lock you in one of the bedrooms of the mansion." Caesar said, as Kara shot Cronic a serious glare. Looking Kara dead in the eyes for a moment, Cronic, realising that they weren't taking no for an answer, let out a sigh.

"Alright, Fine. I'll stay the night…" Cronic said, sounding defeated.

"Good call. I'll see to it about having a room set up. In the meantime, let's see if we can't get you a decent breakfast in your belly. Knowing you, I'd say you skipped breakfast this morning." Caesar said, as he and Kara got up and left. Cronic let out a sigh once he was certain they were gone.

"…God knows I could use something good for breakfast… Getting decent food is difficult in Vellgander. But I really don't want to stay here longer than I have to…" Cronic said, as his stomach let out a loud growl.

"…Damnit. Now I've got food on my thoughts." Cronic said, as he stood up and walked out of the room, hauling his back over one shoulder as he did so.

**Time: 7:34 PM**

**Greede Mansion – Guest room**

Cronic walked into the room albeit somewhat hunched over, closing the door behind him. The room itself had a Dresser and a mirror on the far side of the room from the door, a double bed with curtains beside said wall, with beside tables on either side.

"Ugh… With the amount of food they had to eat, you'd think fine dining was going out of fashion." Cronic said to no-one in particular. His bag was propped up against a nearby wall. He shivered a little though, before realising the window was wide open.

"…That's strange. Pretty sure I didn't open that before I left the room earlier..." Cronic said to himself, as he walked over and closed the window.

"…Must've been one of the mansion workers opening the window to let the room air out." Cronic said to himself, as he walked over to the bed, and noticed the curtains were drawn over it. Reaching out, Cronic took hold of the one facing the window, and then pulled it open, as he saw the black hooded figure from before sat on the bed, facing him.

"…Are you an assassin or something, here to kill me?" Cronic said as he looked at the figure's shadow covered face. She held one hand out towards Cronic, then reached up for her hood, and pulled it down, revealing long brown hair and fair white skin. With a sweep of her hand, she pulled the rest of her hair out of the hood as it trailed down her back, before opening her eyes, and Blue eyes met a similar blue.

"I don't even know how you came to that conclusion. But I guess my attire didn't do much to help with that opinion of me." Serena said, as she stood up, Cronic's eyes widening as he realised who she was.

"It's been a long time, Crobalt. I… Always held onto hope you were alive somewhere." Serena said, as Cronic just stood there in silence before speaking.

"Serena, what are you doing here?" Cronic said to her, as she stepped towards him, and once she was close enough, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace, resting her head on his right shoulder.

"I heard about someone who seemed like you during the debriefing of the leader of the squad sent to Vellgander to recover the Arks. I had to know if it was really you, or someone who looked like you." Serena said, closing her eyes. Cronic slowly returned the embrace.

"…I'm so happy… That you're still alive." Serena said, as a faint smile spread across her lips.

"…And here I thought I'd never see anyone I knew from the Crystalis again." Cronic said, as he pulled her head to face his, before he kissed her on her lips.

"I put everything about the Crystalis behind me, even you, when I crawled onto land. I landed in the ocean, and was lucky enough to pull myself out of the water just off Balandor. The water impact fractured my right arm, and cracked a few of my ribs, but I was alive, and that's more than I can say for most of the exiles that came before me." Cronic said to her, as he broke the embrace and sat down upon the bed, pulling her down onto the bed beside her.

"…I just wish our reunion was under happier circumstances." Cronic said to her, as he then looked out the window.

"…What do you mean?" Serena asked him, as she looked at him, tilting her head slightly.

"Balandor, Albana, Faria and Greede are still recovering from the aftermath of the Yshrenian war. Next thing I know, the Crystalis show up at Vellgander looking for the Knights, and to top it all off, on my way here, I encountered another Exile. And not one of the kind ones either." Cronic said to himself, as he turned to look at Serena.

"I'm sure you're familiar with Boreus the Bloodied. Of all the surviving exiles that I could've ran into, it just had to be him… And he's definitely up to something. He was threatening a Paupitaur about supplies of metals." Cronic said, as Serena's expression changed to one of concern.

"Did he state what he wanted the metals for, or what kind of metals he was after?" Serena asked him, and he shook his head in response.

"No, and that's what worries me. Boreus has several defining qualities about himself, some of which good, and others bad. The three that are of concern to me however, are that he is extremely patient, he plans things out like clockwork, and he is extremely resourceful. He has ways of procuring supplies through purchases, bribes, blackmail, or brute force." Cronic said, as Serena looked down towards the floor.

"I see what you mean about wishing our reunion was under happier circumstances." Serena said, as she let out a sigh.

"Believe me; I know that better than anyone. Life's a pain in the ass like that." Cronic said, as he then took off his boots, setting them beside the bedside table, before removing his gloves and putting them onto said table, as he removed the upper half of his robe and set that down on top of the bedside table, leaving his upper torso exposed. He was of above average physical build. He wasn't necessarily muscular, but he had signs of said muscle.

"Huh, with little but camping equipment in Vellgander, I've not had the luxury of being able to sleep in a proper bed. In fact, I forgot what it was like to sleep in one." Cronic said getting up and extinguishing the lights in the room, before he lay down on it the bed, drawing the curtain across as he did so, resting his head on a pillow. Serena removed her cloak and set it down onto the floor before removing her boots as well, and turned to look at him.

"Where do you plan to go tomorrow?" Serena asked as she sat down onto the bed, before turning sideways and lying down onto her side, resting her head on a pillow as well.

"I'm headed north to Balandor. They have a right to know about this whole mess." Cronic said, as he turned onto his side, looking Serena in the eyes.

"I'll probably be leaving after breakfast. I'll catch the ride to the Flandars and proceed on foot for a while. Till then, I'm just going to take my time enjoying the comfort of this situation." Cronic said, pulling Serena into another embrace as he turned to lie on his back, much to Serena's surprise. Closing her eyes, Serena rested her head upon his chest.

"Then I'll probably come with you. Never know when you might need an extra pair of hands." Serena said, as Cronic ran one hand through her hair.

"Good night then, Serena." Cronic said to her, as a smile spread across her face.

"Good night, Crobalt." Serena said, as the two drifted off into slumber.

**That's it for chapter 4.**

**Next chapter I'm thinking about showing a little more about what Boreus is planning. Boreus himself is gathering metals for some unknown purpose, but given his nature, it's doubtful it's anything good, no?**

**As always, feedback is appreciated, and I'll see you next time for chapter five!**

**Cronic out.**


End file.
